This has been a helluva month. I posted about the awesomeness surrounding H’s first birthday, but then I basically needed a break. I found out a couple days before her birthday that my district isn’t renewing my contract next year. I’m up for tenure at the end of the year, and…that’s the end of that. They don’t have to give a reason, but they did, and it was frankly more insulting than if they just hadn’t told me why. So that was a blow to the juggling act that has been returning to work after having this glorious little lady, and it all happened very fast, and I still had to try and pull off her birthday party despite being terribly distracted and frustrated. Then I spent the week between H’s birthday and spring break trying to finish Battle of the Books with my 4th graders and deal with my job posting going out and telling folks I will not be back.

I was exhausted.

Then last Friday night, fresh off the Battle of the Books final assembly at school, I packed up the baby and drove to Boston to meet Adam. He was already there for PAX East, and I rolled into town at 2am. From there we had a much-needed, much-deserved, very wonderful road trip week around New England. We lost MLK Day and Presidents Day at work because of Hurricane Sandy, so this was the first break since Christmas. And I know I was burned out and in desperate need of it.

We got home around midnight last night, so we have the weekend to hang out before going back to work and this very bizarre new reality. And then when June comes, it’s time to figure out what’s next.

But in the meantime, I’ll be posting LOTS of great trip photos.